Curtis McKenzie was born on February 22, 1991 in Golden, British Columbia. He attended Miami University in Ohio for four years and was selected in the sixth round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Dallas Stars.

Following completion of his collegiate career, McKenzie would join the Stars' AHL affiliate for the final five games of the 2012-13 season. He would spend the entire 2013-14 season at the AHL level, putting up impressive offensive numbers (27 goals and 38 assists) and would get his first taste of NHL action the following season. He would suit up in 36 NHL games for the Stars, scoring four times and adding a single assist.

McKenzie would spend the majority of the 2015-16 season at the AHL level. In 61 games for the Texas Stars he found the back of the net 24 times and added 31 assists for 55 points. He would also suit up in three regular-season games for Dallas as well as one post-season game.